In modern wireless access networks, mobile stations (MSs) can be any type of portable communication or computer device that is assigned a network address to facilitate communications between the customer and the service provider. The network address is needed to ensure the transportation and delivery of data to the specified customer. In the Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) network layer protocol, network addresses are 128 bits in length, where the first 64 bits are referred to as a prefix and the remaining 64 bits are referred to as an interface identifier. The prefix is typically assigned by the access router (AR) to which the MS is connected, while the interface identifier is created by the MS. A duplicate address detection (DAD) process may be implemented to prevent duplicate address assignments to multiple MSs in the network. Once the uniqueness of the address has been verified, the MS may use the address to communicate with other networks or MSs. When the MS moves to a new AR, a new prefix is assigned and the DAD process may be repeated.
While the existing address assignment methods are suitable for low Quality of Service (QoS) applications, such as web browsing, they may be insufficient for higher QoS applications, such as Voice over IP (VoIP). Specifically, the task of assigning and managing address prefixes increases the processing load of the AR. The bandwidth reduction may degrade the service to the MS when multiple MSs are connected to the AR. In addition, the duplicate address detection scheme causes communication delays that may not be tolerable in some time-critical mobile applications, such as VoIP. Thus, there is a need for improving address assignment in wireless networks.